I'm admittedly not in peak physical fitness but winging has fully made me aware of how many muscles I'm using that lack proper endurance training. To make matters worse, I'm doing this in a lake, in Nebraska (that's the center of the USA, if you aren't familiar with the area). The winds blow me down the beach where I get out, walk 1,000 foot (~300 meters) back up the beach and get back in to continue the physical abuse. I'm enjoying it and just completed my 6th session but holy crap, I'm so tired when I'm done I'm destroyed for the rest of the day and half of the next day. I'm wearing a 5mm wetsuit as the water is about 45*F right now (13* above freezing). I'm not cold in the water but the combo of cold water, 5mm wetsuit and probably winging in too low of winds, is just destroying my energy level for a good 18 hours. I had no idea how physically demanding this sport was. I love it but crap...this is punishing. I'm 46 years old. 6'5" and 275lbs. The biometric scale says 44lbs of fat. (yah, I'm going to lose some more fat) I'm on a 6'5" 140L board and a 6.2M wing with a 2200 foil.
Hey Nebraska,
It sounds perfect ! It's excellent exercise, you get to acquire a new sport and skill. you get stronger, lighter. fitter, more alive!
keep going.
By the way, I'm in my sixties, we either rust or wear out.
Nebraska-
Are you winging on Lake McConaughy?
Stopped to wing there last summer - wicked!
Funny to revisit this thread ... curious to know if the physical demands have lessened for y'all? I agree with BroVan above...kook stage was intense. It still is intense in too-light wind, when frantically pumping, I am shocked how gassed I get ... add in dodging big surf and that can be hyperventilating 200bpm feeling-like-i-might-faint better-work-on-cardio level.
But other than that...when properly powered and with a harness, it can sometimes be so easy that it doesn't feel like exercise. I find I can regularly go an hour with falling in, hair still dry halfway through session ... and sometimes find I get a little chilly from not moving enough. It is like the early kiting days, all us middle agers were bragging about having abs again, from the intensity of fun and engaging exercise. Then we started kite foiling and got fat again. 
The exercise I was getting during the kook stage was great. I have built more muscle than even when I was much younger. Then it got more comfortable with improved skills but thanks to 3-4 times more TOW than windsurfing I kept fit.... Or so I was thinking until I bought a new board that's 20l under my weight in kgs. Had 5 sessions so far in challenging gusty winds with countless stinkbug practices, paddling and walks of shame. Getting even more intense work out for this new kind of kook phase :)
Select to expand quotejuandesooka said..
Funny to revisit this thread ... curious to know if the physical demands have lessened for y'all? I agree with BroVan above...kook stage was intense. It still is intense in too-light wind, when frantically pumping, I am shocked how gassed I get ... add in dodging big surf and that can be hyperventilating 200bpm feeling-like-i-might-faint better-work-on-cardio level.
But other than that...when properly powered and with a harness, it can sometimes be so easy that it doesn't feel like exercise. I find I can regularly go an hour with falling in, hair still dry halfway through session ... and sometimes find I get a little chilly from not moving enough. It is like the early kiting days, all us middle agers were bragging about having abs again, from the intensity of fun and engaging exercise. Then we started kite foiling and got fat again.
I can't believe it's been 7 months since I started this thread. Time flies when you're winging
. I'm still winging and loving it. I haven't changed from my original equipment but my next purchase will be a bigger front wing and then a shorter board. The information everyone on this thread has contributed has been really helpful. My fitness has gone through the roof and 1.5 - 2hr sessions are pretty easy for me now. I'm gybing, foot swapping and even making a few toe to heel tacks in the past few months. I've only been kite foiling once in this time. I've also started using a harness which I like when doing long upwind legs. I'm also starting to ride wind driven bumps but I've got a long way to go to do it for any length of time while fully flagged. it's autumn (fall) in Australia now so wind is harder to come by until the winter fronts kick in.
It is great to read all this stuff. Thanks.
I am 76 and waiting for a warm enough day to go in the water. I wonder how tired I will be after the first session. At least I am well warned now!
John
Use a harness! I've been able to double the length of my sessions after I started using one. I can save my arm strength for the pumping during water starts and relax during long tacks. I really can't believe so many people ride without a harness.
Compared with windsurfing (small sails, ultralight kit and hardly falling in), winging is patty cakes.
